Laura Jane Grace is a prominent figure in today’s rock scene as both a solo artist and the front person of Against Me!, which she founded in Naples, FL, in the late 1990s. As a working artist, she has released four solo offerings and seven albums with Against Me!, and in 2012, she went public with her gender transition on the pages of Rolling Stone. In her music, she continues to detail her journey, all while staying true to her earlier themes of outspoken political critique – environmentalism along with personal and social liberation – with a base in American music, including country and folk-rock, with a penchant for noise and anarchy.
Grace’s exceptionally multi-faceted career heads in a familiar and refreshing direction with a cover of The Sidekicks’ “Baby, Baby.” The crunchy cover has Grace injecting her veteran prowess and acrobatic vocals into off-kilter distortion for a nod to her punk roots that still showcase her growth. Grace can make these words feel like her own, the mark of a genuinely captivating cover, but the nuanced dynamic shifts are what bring this decade-old song to modern times. Grace’s vocals almost coil around the jagged guitar melodies in a spellbinding way, forcing the individual elements of the music to bleed into one another in the best way possible. This performance falls between explosive and smooth, employing a contradicting sonic landscape that allows the vocals to roam from soaring falsettos to intimidating yet warm baritones. Grace’s take on “Baby, Baby” reenergizes a classic tune via a jaw-dropping performance that reminds us how the artist achieved her longevity in the first place.
